After Eric Schmidt's recent visit to India, he travelled to other parts of Asia which included the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. Much to the curiosity of those looking on from the sidelines, he spent all of four days in the "red" capital ostensibly to—just as he did in India—promote the Internet and Internet connectivity. However, a South Korean professor of North Korean Studies does not believe that this was the only item on Schmidt's agenda during his visit.

India has consistently had an odd entry or two in the Top 500 supercomputers lists over the last decade or so. In the recently released list for June 2012, this number has increased to five entries and comprises the following:

About a month ago, there was a report on potential issues with iris scans. This week's Frontline contends that fingerprints are not infallible either and the related ramifications for the UID/Aadhar project. It also mentions that Nilekani has publicly stated that iris scans are "not a mature technology" and has questioned its accuracy.

India appears to have a burgeoning radio-controlled aircraft scene with plenty of hobbyists as well as vendors across the country. The following is a video of a 2010 event held around a 100 km out of Madras by the RCPA (Radio Control Pilots Association) in an area dedicated to this pursuit. As you can see, the field sports a full-fledged runway and associated amenities.

A Coimbatore based company named Thunk has come up with a rather novel backpack which features a strip of solar cells on the front which can be used to charge devices on the go. The backpack itself is apparently "upcycled" which sounds like a marketing spin for recycled into something better. The backpack looks nifty and their promotional video is charming.